Glenn Ford, Leading Man in Films and TV, Dies at 90 - The New York Times The New York Times Movies |Glenn Ford, Leading Man in Films and TV, Dies at 90 Search Glenn Ford, Leading Man in Films and TV, Dies at 90 By RICHARD SEVERO Continue reading the main story Glenn Ford, a laconic, soft-spoken actor whose leading roles in westerns, melodramas and romantic films made his name a familiar one on movie-house marquees from the early 1940’s through the 60’s, died Wednesday at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 90. Paramedics called to the home shortly before 4 p.m. found him dead, the police said. He had a series of strokes in the 1990’s. In movies like “Gilda” (1947), “The Big Heat” (1953), “Blackboard Jungle” (1955) and “Pocketful of Miracles” (1961), Mr. Ford’s acting could appear effortless.

But in his quiet, easygoing manner, he could also project a certain depth and complexity of character, combining affability with resoluteness, gentleness with inner strength. Critics consistently gave his performances high praise. Though Mr. Ford was never nominated for an Academy Award, he was popular with moviegoers, especially in the 1950’s, starring in box-office successes like “The Teahouse of the August Moon” (1956), “Don’t Go Near the Water” (1957) and “Imitation General” (1958). Continue reading the main story He had started his Hollywood career seemingly typecast as an actor who could do well in undistinguished films. He made a series of B movies for Columbia Pictures, playing featured roles in such forgettable productions as “Men Without Souls” and “My Son Is Guilty” (both in 1940) and “Texas,” “The Desperadoes” and “Destroyer” (all in 1941). Advertisement Continue reading the main story He usually attracted critical praise even when the script, production and direction were anything but praiseworthy. In 1946, for example, Mr.

Ford starred opposite Rita Hayworth in “Gilda,” a film remembered mostly as the vehicle for her provocative lip-synching of a song called “Put the Blame on Mame.” Writing in The New York Times, Bosley Crowther praised Mr. Ford’s “stamina and poise in a thankless role.” Photo Glenn Ford appeared in films such as "Blackboard Jungle," "Gilda" and "Teahouse of the August Moon." Credit Reuters But in the 1950’s, Mr. Ford began to make pictures that were more worthy of his talents. In “Blackboard Jungle,” for example, he played an idealistic, beleaguered teacher in a tough New York City high school. The film, with an opening sequence set to Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock,” also starred Sidney Poitier and was nominated for four Oscars, including one for best screenplay. “I had always marveled at the subtlety of his work,” Mr. Poitier told The Associated Press this week. Mr.

Ford’s popularity continued into the 1960’s, when he starred in films like “Pocketful of Miracles,” playing a warmhearted bootlegger opposite Bette Davis’s street beggar Apple Annie; “Experiment in Terror (1962), with Lee Remick; “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father” (1963), which later became the basis of a television series with Bill Bixby; and “The Rounders” (1965), with Henry Fonda. Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford was born on May 1, 1916, in Quebec, the only child of Newton and Hannah Ford. The Fords, of Welsh descent, were prominent in Canada. Newton Ford was a railroad executive and mill owner and a nephew of Sir John MacDonald, a former prime minister of Canada. Another Ford ancestor was Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the United States. Gwyllyn was initially reared in Ste.-Christine, Portneuf, an hour from the city of Quebec. When he was 7, his family moved to Santa Monica, Calif., where Mr. Ford was educated. After high school, he began working with small theater groups.

He later said his father had no objection to his growing interest in acting but had told him: “It’s all right for you to try to act, if you learn something else first. Be able to take a car apart and put it together. Be able to build a house, every bit of it. Then you’ll always have something.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Mr. Ford listened to his father, and in the 1950’s, when he was one of the nation’s most popular actors, he regularly worked on plumbing, wiring and air-conditioning at home. At various times, Mr. Ford worked as a roofer and an installer of plate-glass windows. At one point, he worked in a Santa Monica bar, keeping it clean for $5 a week. Years later, as a successful actor, he would drive by that bar almost every day. “There are too many places here that won’t let me forget how I started,” he told an interviewer. Photo Glenn Ford in 1988. Credit Courtesy of Peter Ford, via Associated Press In the late 1930’s, he managed to get a screen test at 20th Century Fox but did not do well.

Given a second chance, however, he later won his first movie part, in 1939, in “Heaven With a Barbed Wire Fence.” He was billed as Gwyllyn Ford in that movie, but when he signed a long-term contract with Columbia Pictures shortly afterward, the studio’s chief, Harry Cohn, asked him to change his name, suggesting John Gower. Mr. Ford compromised, keeping his last name but changing his first. The B movies followed until 1943, when he joined the Marine Corps. While in the Marines, he met the dancer Eleanor Powell at a war-bond cavalcade. They were married in 1943 and had a son, Peter, who survives. The marriage ended in divorce in 1959. In 1966, Mr. Ford married Kathryn Hays, an actress, but the marriage ended quickly. In 1977, he wed Cynthia Hayward, a model 32 years his junior. They divorced in 1984. In 1993, he married Jeanne Baus, but they, too, soon divorced.

By 1965, his star power had enabled him to build a luxurious home in Beverly Hills featuring an atrium over which hung a 900-pound artificial sun. Mr. Ford could switch it on whenever he wanted to feel drenched with light. The house also held a replica of an English pub, to which he retreated when he preferred the shadows. As Mr. Ford grew older, he was cast less frequently, but in “Superman” (1978) he appeared in a brief scene as Clark Kent’s father. He also made some movies for television, among them “Punch and Jody” (1974), “The Disappearance of Flight 412” (1975), “Evening in Byzantium” (1978) and “The Sacketts” (1979), and appeared in the series “Cade’s County” (1971). In 1978, he was the host of the series “When Havoc Struck.” In his heyday, there were times when it seemed that Mr. Ford was averse to vacations.

In 1960 and 1961 he worked on four overlapping projects: “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” “Cry for Happy,” “Cimarron” and “Pocketful of Miracles.” In all, from 1939 to 1991, Mr. Ford appeared in 85 films, according to the Film Encyclopedia. Advertisement When someone noted in the 60’s that in five years he had taken off an average of only 21 days between films, Mr. Ford replied simply, “I like to work.” Correction: Sept. 7, 2006 An obituary on Friday, and in some copies on Thursday, about the movie actor Glenn Ford referred incorrectly to three of his films and misstated the release date of two of them. “Texas,” “The Desperadoes” and “Destroyer” were major productions of Columbia Pictures, not B movies, and the latter two were released in 1943, not 1941. The obituary also rendered incorrectly the surname of the former prime minister of Canada who was Mr. Ford’s father’s uncle. He was Sir John A. Macdonald, not MacDonald.

And on Thursday it also misidentified the town in the province of Quebec where Mr. Ford was reared until age 7. It was Ste.-Christine, in Portneuf County, not Portneuf. A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A22 of the New York edition with the headline: Glenn Ford, Leading Man, Is Dead at 90. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Glenn Ford, 90; Prolific, Popular Actor Starred in `Blackboard Jungle,' `Gilda' - latimes Glenn Ford, 90; Prolific, Popular Actor Starred in `Blackboard Jungle,' `Gilda' August 31, 2006 |From a Times Staff Writer Glenn Ford, the rangy, laconic actor who in a long and prolific career in films and television portrayed characters from gallant leading men to saddle tramps, died Wednesday. He was 90. Ford, a top box-office draw in the 1950s whose career spanned more than five decades and more than 100 films, was found dead at his Beverly Hills home by Fire Department paramedics just before 4 p.m.

Largely out of the public eye since the early 1990s, Ford was saluted by American Cinematheque at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre in May on his 90th birthday. Ford, who had suffered several strokes, had been expected to attend but ultimately missed the event because of fragile health.

In his prime, Ford posted a string of memorable credits that included "Gilda," "The Big Heat," "The Blackboard Jungle," "3:10 to Yuma," "The Teahouse of the August Moon," "Don't Go Near the Water," "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," "Pocketful of Miracles" and "The Rounders." For The Record Los Angeles Times Saturday September 02, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 3 inches; 113 words Type of Material: Correction Glenn Ford obituary: The obituary of Glenn Ford in Thursday's California section said the actor "was found dead at his Beverly Hills home by Fire Department paramedics just before 4 p.m." According to information supplied to The Times by the family after the obituary appeared, paramedics were called to the family home by Ford's daughter-in-law, Lynda, after a caregiver had determined that Ford was having difficulty breathing. Paramedics were unable to resuscitate the 90-year-old actor.

Efforts to find a representative of the family for further information on Ford's death Thursday night were unsuccessful, and initial information in the obituary should have been attributed to an official statement from the Beverly Hills Police Department. He could play an ambitious, crooked gambler with a soul-saving sense of honor ("Gilda") or an idealistic yet tough-minded teacher ("Blackboard Jungle"). As a youth, Ford portrayed a Depression-era store clerk who hitchhiked west in "Heaven With a Barbed Wire Fence," his first feature picture in 1939. As a middle-aged character actor, he was the surrogate father of "Superman" (1978) in the first feature-length film treatment of the comic book character. And although he was never nominated for an Oscar, he was a longtime Hollywood favorite. Ford, who was under contract to Columbia Pictures for many years, got along well with studio chief Harry Cohn, who was famous for his parsimonious purse strings and flaming temper.

Ford recalled in a 1981 interview that Cohn had sent for him when he left Columbia after his contract had expired and that the studio boss shook his hand fondly and said: "You know why we always got along together, Glenn? Because you never were afraid of me." In the 1970s, Ford began concentrating on television, portraying Sheriff Sam Cade in "Cade's County"; the narrator of the children's series "Friends of Man"; and the Rev. Tom Holvak, a poverty-stricken preacher, in "The Family Holvak." The last character, in the 1975-77 series, was based, Ford told The Times in 1975, on his grandfather, Thomas Ford, a rural minister in Quebec, Canada, the actor's native land. He was born Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford on May 1, 1916, the son of a railroad executive and mill owner and nephew of Sir John MacDonald, a former prime minister of Canada and a descendant of Martin Van Buren, eighth president of the United States. Ford spent his earliest years in Glenford, site of the family's paper mill, from which Ford took his professional name.

By the time his family moved to California when he was 7, he had already developed a taste for performing. At Santa Monica High School, he ran track, played lacrosse and excelled in English and drama. Ford worked with numerous little theater groups and California touring companies as an actor and stage manager before joining the Broadway-bound play "Soliloquy," starring film actor John Beal, in 1938. But when the play reached Broadway, it closed after only two performances. Ford returned to Los Angeles, and 20th Century Fox hired him for a fourth-billed role in the low-budget "Heaven With a Barbed Wire Fence." It was not the most auspicious of debuts. In a 1985 interview with The Times, Ford recalled that the film's director, Ricardo Cortez, told him he would never make it as a movie actor. But soon after, Ford was signed by Columbia. Roles in a string of B pictures followed, until World War II service intervened. Ford enlisted in the Marine Corps in December 1942, after having been a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary for a year.

After his discharge in 1945, he returned to the screen the next year in three notable pictures: "Gilda"; "A Stolen Life," in which he played opposite Bette Davis; and "Gallant Journey," a film biography of 19th century flight pioneer John Montgomery. In "Gilda," where Rita Hayworth performs one of the steamiest dances in movie history, Ford was praised by Variety as "a far better actor than the tale permits." In 1953, Ford had his Columbia contract rewritten so he could work for other studios. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer featured him as the doctor-husband in "Interrupted Melody," the story of opera star Marjorie Lawrence, a polio victim. That picture and others, such as "Ransom" and "Don't Go Near the Water," brought him rave notices about his "recent mature and thoughtful performances" and his "sly and adept" comedy. Off-screen, Ford played polo -- he had learned to ride while taking care of Will Rogers' polo ponies as a teenager in the 1930s -- and was lifelong friends with William Holden and Hayworth.

He also worked with Actors and Others for Animals, an animal-rights group. 'Blackboard Jungle' Actor Glenn Ford Dies at 90 | Fox News 'Blackboard Jungle' Actor Glenn Ford Dies at 90 Published August 31, 2006 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Email Print BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – In his roles from westerns to romances, actor Glenn Ford portrayed strong, thoughtful protagonists, bringing his touch to three decades of film. On Wednesday, the 90-year-old actor who starred in movies such as "The Blackboard Jungle," "Gilda" and "The Big Heat" was found dead in his home, police said. A cause of death was not given, though Ford suffered a series of strokes in the 1990s. Ford appeared in scores of films during his 53-year Hollywood career. The Film Encyclopedia, a reference book, lists 85 films from 1939 to 1991. He was cast usually as the handsome tough, but his acting talents ranged from romance to comedy.

His more famous credits include "Superman," "Gilda," "The Sheepman," "The Gazebo," "Pocketful of Miracles" and "Don't Go Near the Water." "It comes to mind instantly what a remarkable actor he was," actor Sidney Poitier, who also starred in " The Blackboard Jungle ," said Wednesday evening. "He had those magical qualities that are intangible but are quite impactful on the screen. He was a movie star." A tireless worker, Ford often made several films a year, and continued working well into his 70s. In 1992, though, he was hospitalized for more than two months for blood clots and other ailments, and at one point was in critical condition "Noel Coward once told me, `You will know you're old when you cease to be amazed.' Well, I can still be amazed," Ford said in a 1981 interview with The Associated Press. After getting his start in theater in the 1930s, Ford got a break when he was signed by Columbia Pictures mogul Harry Cohn.

In 1940, he appeared in five films, including "Blondie Plays Cupid" and "Babies for Sale." After serving with the Marines during World War II, Ford starred in 1946 as a small-time gambler in "Gilda," opposite Rita Hayworth. The film about frustrated romance and corruption in postwar Argentina became a film noir classic. Hayworth plays Ford's former love, a sometime nightclub singer married to a casino operator, and she sizzles onscreen performing "Put the Blame on Mame." Ford speaks the memorable voiceover in the opening scene: "To me a dollar was a dollar in any language. It was my first night in the Argentine and I didn't know much about the local citizens. But I knew about American sailors, and I knew I'd better get out of there." Two years later he made "The Loves of Carmen," also with Hayworth. "It was one of the greatest mistakes I ever made, embarrassing," Ford said of the latter film. "But it was worth it, just to work with her again." Among his competitors for leading roles was William Holden. Both actors, Ford said, would stuff paper in their shoes to appear taller than the other.

"Finally, neither of us could walk, so we said the hell with it." Ford also played against Bette Davis in "A Stolen Life." One of his best-known roles was in the 1955 "The Blackboard Jungle," where he portrayed a young, soft-spoken teacher in a slum school who inspires a class full of juvenile delinquents to care about life. "We did a film together, and it was for me a great experience because I had always admired his work," recalled Poitier. "When I saw him in films I had always marveled at the subtlety of his work. He was truly gifted." In "The Big Heat," 1953, a gritty crime story, Ford played a police detective. "Acting is just being truthful," he once said. "I have to play myself. I'm not an actor who can take on another character, like Laurence Olivier.

The worst thing I could do would be to play Shakespeare." An avid horseman and former polo player, Ford appeared in a number of Westerns, "3:10 to Yuma," "Cowboy," "The Rounders," "Texas," "The Fastest Gun Alive" and the remake of "Cimarron" among them. His talents included lighter parts, with roles in "The Teahouse of August Moon" and "It Started With a Kiss." On television, he appeared in "Cade's County," "The Family Holvak," "Once an Eagle" and "When Havoc Struck." He starred in the feature film "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," which later became a TV series featuring Bill Bixby. He was born Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford on May 1, 1916, in Quebec, the son of a railroad executive. The first name reflected his family's Welsh roots. When Ford joined Columbia, Cohn asked him to change his name to John Gower; Ford refused but switched his first name to Glenn, after his father's birthplace of Glenford.

He moved to southern California at 8 and promptly fell in love with show business, even sneaking onto a Culver City studio lot at night. He took to the stage at Santa Monica High School. His first professional job was as a searchlight operator in front of a movie house. He started his career in theater, as an actor with West Coast stage companies and as Tallulah Bankhead's stage manager in New York. In 1939, he made his first Hollywood film opposite Jean Rogers in the romance "Heaven With a Barbed Wire Fence." His director, Ricardo Cortez, told Ford he would never amount to anything and the actor returned to New York. He didn't stay away from Hollywood long, though, signing a 14-year contract with Columbia Pictures. He married actress-dancer Eleanor Powell in 1943; the two divorced in 1959. They had a son, Peter. A 1965 marriage to actress Kathryn Hays ended quickly. In 1977, he married model Cynthia Hayward, 32 years his junior. They were divorced in 1984.

Failing health forced Ford to skip a 90th birthday tribute on May 1 at Hollywood's historic Grauman's Egyptian Theatre. But he did send greetings via videotape, adding, "I wish I were up and around, but I'm doing the best that I can.... There's so much I have to be grateful for." Advertisement Glenn Ford Obituary | Glenn Ford Funeral | Legacy.com Glenn Ford Obituary Visit Guest Book BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) - Actor Glenn Ford, who played strong, thoughtful protagonists in films such as "The Blackboard Jungle," "Gilda" and "The Big Heat," has died, police said. He was 90. Paramedics called to Ford's home just before 4 p.m. Wednesday found Ford dead, police Sgt. Terry Nutall said, reading a prepared statement. "They do not suspect foul play," he said. Ford suffered a series of strokes in the 1990s. "It comes to mind instantly what a remarkable actor he was," actor Sidney Poitier, who also starred in "The Blackboard Jungle," said Wednesday evening. "He had those magical qualities that are intangible but are quite impactful on the screen.

He was a movie star." Failing health forced Ford to skip a 90th birthday tribute on May 1 at Hollywood's historic Grauman's Egyptian Theatre. But he did send greetings via videotape, adding, "I wish I were up and around, but I'm doing the best that I can.... There's so much I have to be grateful for." At the event, Shirley Jones, who co-starred with him in the comedy "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," called Ford "one of the cornerstones of our industry, and there aren't many left." Ford appeared in scores of films during his 53-year Hollywood career. The Film Encyclopedia, a reference book, lists 85 films from 1939 to 1991. He was cast usually as the handsome tough, but his acting talents ranged from romance to comedy.

His more famous credits include "Superman," "Gilda," "The Sheepman," "The Gazebo," "Pocketful of Miracles" and "Don't Go Near the Water." An avid horseman and former polo player, Ford appeared in a number of Westerns, "3:10 to Yuma," "Cowboy," "The Rounders," "Texas," "The Fastest Gun Alive" and the remake of "Cimarron" among them. His talents included lighter parts, with roles in "The Teahouse of August Moon" and "It Started With a Kiss." On television, he appeared in "Cade's County," "The Family Holvak," "Once an Eagle" and "When Havoc Struck." He starred in the feature film "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," which later became a TV series featuring Bill Bixby. A tireless worker, Ford often made several films a year, Ford continued working well into his 70s. In 1992, though, he was hospitalized for more than two months for blood clots and other ailments, and at one point was in critical condition.

"Noel Coward once told me, 'You will know you're old when you cease to be amazed.' Well, I can still be amazed," Ford said in a 1981 interview with The Associated Press. After getting his start in theater in the 1930s, he got a break when he was signed by Columbia Pictures mogul Harry Cohn. In 1940, he appeared in five films, including "Blondie Plays Cupid" and "Babies for Sale." After serving with the Marines during World War II, Ford starred in 1946 as a small-time gambler in "Gilda," opposite Rita Hayworth. The film about frustrated romance and corruption in postwar Argentina became a film noir classic. Hayworth plays Ford's former love, a sometime nightclub singer married to a casino operator, and she sizzles onscreen performing "Put the Blame on Mame." Ford speaks the memorable voiceover in the opening scene: "To me a dollar was a dollar in any language. It was my first night in the Argentine and I didn't know much about the local citizens.

But I knew about American sailors, and I knew I'd better get out of there." Two years later he made "The Loves of Carmen," also with Hayworth. "It was one of the greatest mistakes I ever made, embarrassing," Ford said of the latter film. "But it was worth it, just to work with her again." Among his competitors for leading roles was William Holden. Both actors, Ford said, would stuff paper in their shoes to appear taller than the other. "Finally, neither of us could walk, so we said the hell with it." Ford also played against Bette Davis in "A Stolen Life." One of his best-known roles was in the 1955 "The Blackboard Jungle," where he portrayed a young, soft-spoken teacher in a slum school who inspires a class full of juvenile delinquents to care about life. "We did a film together, and it was for me a great experience because I had always admired his work," recalled Poitier. "When I saw him in films I had always marveled at the subtlety of his work. He was truly gifted." In "The Big Heat," 1953, a gritty crime story, Ford played a police detective.

"Acting is just being truthful," he once said. "I have to play myself. I'm not an actor who can take on another character, like Laurence Olivier. The worst thing I could do would be to play Shakespeare." He was born Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford on May 1, 1916, in Quebec, the son of a railroad executive. The first name reflected his family's Welsh roots. When Ford joined Columbia, Cohn asked him to change his name to John Gower; Ford refused but switched his first name to Glenn, after his father's birthplace of Glenford. He moved to Southern California at 8 and promptly fell in love with show business, even sneaking onto a Culver City studio lot at night. He took to the stage at Santa Monica High School. His first professional job was as a searchlight operator in front of a movie house. He started his career in theater, as an actor with West Coast stage companies and as Tallulah Bankhead's stage manager in New York.

In 1939, he made his first Hollywood film opposite Jean Rogers in the romance "Heaven With a Barbed Wire Fence." His director, Ricardo Cortez, told Ford he would never amount to anything and the actor returned to New York. He didn't stay away from Hollywood long, though, signing a 14-year contract with Columbia Pictures. He married actress-dancer Eleanor Powell in 1943; the two divorced in 1959. They had a son, Peter. A 1965 marriage to actress Kathryn Hays ended quickly. In 1977, he married model Cynthia Hayward, 32 years his junior. They were divorced in 1984. Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) - Actor Glenn Ford, who played strong, thoughtful protagonists in films such as "The Blackboard Jungle," "Gilda" and "The Big Heat," has died, police said. He was 90. Paramedics called to Ford's home just before 4 p.m. Wednesday found Ford dead, police Sgt. Terry Nutall said, reading a prepared statement. "They do not suspect foul play," he said.

Ford suffered a series of strokes in the 1990s. "It comes to mind instantly what a remarkable actor he was," actor Sidney Poitier, who also starred in "The Blackboard Jungle," said Wednesday evening. "He had those magical qualities that are intangible but are quite impactful on the screen. He was a movie star." Failing health forced Ford to skip a 90th birthday tribute on May 1 at Hollywood's historic Grauman's Egyptian Theatre. But he did send greetings via videotape, adding, "I wish I were up and around, but I'm doing the best that I can.... There's so much I have to be grateful for." At the event, Shirley Jones, who co-starred with him in the comedy "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," called Ford "one of the cornerstones of our industry, and there aren't many left." Ford appeared in scores of films during his 53-year Hollywood career. The Film Encyclopedia, a reference book, lists 85 films from 1939 to 1991. He was cast usually as the handsome tough, but his acting talents ranged from romance to comedy.

His more famous credits include "Superman," "Gilda," "The Sheepman," "The Gazebo," "Pocketful of Miracles" and "Don't Go Near the Water." An avid horseman and former polo player, Ford appeared in a number of Westerns, "3:10 to Yuma," "Cowboy," "The Rounders," "Texas," "The Fastest Gun Alive" and the remake of "Cimarron" among them. His talents included lighter parts, with roles in "The Teahouse of August Moon" and "It Started With a Kiss." On television, he appeared in "Cade's County," "The Family Holvak," "Once an Eagle" and "When Havoc Struck." He starred in the feature film "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," which later became a TV series featuring Bill Bixby. A tireless worker, Ford often made several films a year, Ford continued working well into his 70s. In 1992, though, he was hospitalized for more than two months for blood clots and other ailments, and at one point was in critical condition.

"Noel Coward once told me, 'You will know you're old when you cease to be amazed.' Well, I can still be amazed," Ford said in a 1981 interview with The Associated Press. After getting his start in theater in the 1930s, he got a break when he was signed by Columbia Pictures mogul Harry Cohn. In 1940, he appeared in five films, including "Blondie Plays Cupid" and "Babies for Sale." After serving with the Marines during World War II, Ford starred in 1946 as a small-time gambler in "Gilda," opposite Rita Hayworth. The film about frustrated romance and corruption in postwar Argentina became a film noir classic. Hayworth plays Ford's former love, a sometime nightclub singer married to a casino operator, and she sizzles onscreen performing "Put the Blame on Mame." Ford speaks the memorable voiceover in the opening scene: "To me a dollar was a dollar in any language. It was my first night in the Argentine and I didn't know much about the local citizens.

But I knew about American sailors, and I knew I'd better get out of there." Two years later he made "The Loves of Carmen," also with Hayworth. "It was one of the greatest mistakes I ever made, embarrassing," Ford said of the latter film. "But it was worth it, just to work with her again." Among his competitors for leading roles was William Holden. Both actors, Ford said, would stuff paper in their shoes to appear taller than the other. "Finally, neither of us could walk, so we said the hell with it." Ford also played against Bette Davis in "A Stolen Life." One of his best-known roles was in the 1955 "The Blackboard Jungle," where he portrayed a young, soft-spoken teacher in a slum school who inspires a class full of juvenile delinquents to care about life. "We did a film together, and it was for me a great experience because I had always admired his work," recalled Poitier. "When I saw him in films I had always marveled at the subtlety of his work. He was truly gifted." In "The Big Heat," 1953, a gritty crime story, Ford played a police detective.

"Acting is just being truthful," he once said. "I have to play myself. I'm not an actor who can take on another character, like Laurence Olivier. The worst thing I could do would be to play Shakespeare." He was born Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford on May 1, 1916, in Quebec, the son of a railroad executive. The first name reflected his family's Welsh roots. When Ford joined Columbia, Cohn asked him to change his name to John Gower; Ford refused but switched his first name to Glenn, after his father's birthplace of Glenford. He moved to Southern California at 8 and promptly fell in love with show business, even sneaking onto a Culver City studio lot at night. He took to the stage at Santa Monica High School. His first professional job was as a searchlight operator in front of a movie house. He started his career in theater, as an actor with West Coast stage companies and as Tallulah Bankhead's stage manager in New York.

In 1939, he made his first Hollywood film opposite Jean Rogers in the romance "Heaven With a Barbed Wire Fence." His director, Ricardo Cortez, told Ford he would never amount to anything and the actor returned to New York. He didn't stay away from Hollywood long, though, signing a 14-year contract with Columbia Pictures. He married actress-dancer Eleanor Powell in 1943; the two divorced in 1959. They had a son, Peter. A 1965 marriage to actress Kathryn Hays ended quickly. In 1977, he married model Cynthia Hayward, 32 years his junior. They were divorced in 1984. Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press TV ACRES: Westerns > Cade's County (starring Glenn Ford and Edgar Buchanan) Drama 60 Minutes Glenn Ford starred Sheriff Sam Cade, a tough but fair lawman who maintained peace and order in the sprawling desert landscape of Madrid County with the help of his Senior Deputy J.J. Jackson (Edgar Buchanan). Before taking the job as Sheriff, Cade had been US Navy fighter pilot in Korea and an FBI Agent.

Wearing cowboy hats and driving jeeps and cop cars, Sheriff Cade and his deputies patrolled the rugged Southwest territory looking to help those in need and tracking down those who needed to be put behind bars. Sheriff Sam Cade was also very sensitive man and quite conscious of the plight of the many Native Americans in his jurisdiction. Others officers and employees on the county payroll included: Taylor Lacher as Deputy Arlo Pritchard, a rookie cop Victor Campos as Deputy Rudy Davillo, a rookie cop Pete Ford as Deputy Pete Sandra Ego as Joannie Little Bird, a Native American radio dispatcher Betty Ann Carr as Betty Ann Sundown, a Native American radio dispatcher who replaced Joannie Little Bird. J.J. Jackson and Sheriff Sam Cade Here is a select list of Sheriff Sam Cade's police investigations: Cade searches for a missing miner in a small company town A perfectly robbery perplexes Cade and his deputies. A nut-job sabotages a missile site and tries to set off a nuclear bomb. Sam searches for a Native American man wanted for murder. The man was once Sam's deputy. Prejudice arises when an Arab student is suspected of killing a ranch foreman. Cade tracks a hunter of illegally captured wild horses.

Jewel thieves takes one of Cade's deputies as a hostage. Another nut-job thinks he's Billy the Kid. Cade goes undercover to catch gold smugglers. Sam tracks down a stolen Lamborghini Miura automobile that was involved in a murder attempt. Screen Shots from Opening Credits TRIVIA NOTE: CADE'S COUNTY was called SHERIFF OF MADRID when the series ran in syndication. The Deputy Pete character was played by Glenn Ford's son, Pete Ford. The state in which the series was set was never mentioned, but the desert locales suggest Arizona or New Mexico. Edgar Buchanan is best remembered for his role as Uncle "movin' kind of slow" Joe on the sitcom PETTICOAT JUNCTION. Buchanan and Glenn Ford were veterans of the western genre. One of Ford's memorable roles was in the classic western 3:10 to Yuma (1957) where he played Ben Wade, a smooth talking outlaw destined for the gallows. Obituaries: Glenn Ford: 08/30/2006; Edgar Buchanan: 04/04/1979; Taylor Lacher: 06/21//2005 External Links

Question: What was the name of the TV series that starred Glenn Ford
Answer: Cades County